The banned bookshop of Maggie Banks

Shauna Robinson

Book - 2022

"From acclaimed author Shauna Robinson comes a bookish, millennial story about a young woman looking to start a new chapter in her life, and in doing so finds a community built around the books we love and the book club: fun, goofy, and totally against the rules. Catering to the stories folks actually want to read and making fun of the stuffy "classics", Maggie falls in love with books and realizes the power stories have to build community. But with a historical society itching to catch her and shut her down for good, and a budding relationship with an adorably strait-laced inspector weighing on her conscience, everything starts to fall apart. And just as Maggie feels herself becoming a part of the community, she unearths a t...own secret that could ruin everything. She'll have to figure out what's more important: the books that formed a small town's history, or the stories poised to change it all. A warm, funny book club read about community, finding yourself, and the transformative power of stories, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is a much-needed novel perfect for readers of The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Praise for Must Love Books "A heartfelt and exciting debut...a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself."-Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising "A tender reflection on finding your person while you're still desperately searching for yourself."-KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters "A book for book lovers... It's impossible not to root for Nora!"-Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties"--

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FICTION/Robinson Shauna
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Published
Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark [2022]
Language
English
Main Author
Shauna Robinson (author)
Physical Description
329 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN
9781728246444
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

In her second novel (after Must Love Books, 2022), Robinson introduces the reader to the endearing but aimless Maggie Banks. Maggie accepts the temporary job of running Cobblestone Books while her friend, Rochelle, takes maternity leave. Until now, Maggie has been drifting; dead-end jobs, little motivation, unclear goals. Yet almost as soon as she arrives in the hamlet of Bell River, she finds herself with a clear mission: to save the bookshop. The town of Bell River has been designed to uphold the legacy of famed writer Edward Bell. As a result, the bookstore is limited to selling work that was only available in Bell's time--which ended in 1968. Bell's grandson, Ralph, holds Bell's legacy over all the local shops like a weapon; no talking about possible scandals and no deviating from the narrative! When Maggie decides to rebel by offering modern fiction to local patrons, she does it on the down-low. Will her budding romance with Ralph's right-hand man, her new friendships, and the town's economy survive her meddling? Charming, uplifting, and funny.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Free-spirited Maggie is still figuring out her life, so when her best friend from college, Rochelle, asks her to temporarily work at her small-town, independent bookstore, she jumps at the chance. With no personal interest in books and a lot of strict rules to follow, she has a shaky start. She soon meets her colleague, Malcolm, whose job it is to report on her progress to the powers that be. As the weeks go by, Maggie starts to put down roots and begins a journey--reading and enjoying books for the first time ever. This leads her to flout the rules by starting a secret book group that celebrates all genres and uplifts banned books. But Maggie's clandestine literary club endangers the bookstore's existence, her friendship with Rochelle, and her burgeoning love affair with Malcolm. She'll need to find a way to save the shop and her relationships if she wants to stay in the town that now feels like home. VERDICT This richly-plotted romance from Robinson (Must Love Books) is full of charming characters and will appeal to fans of Jenny Colgan, Abbi Waxman, and Katarina Bivald.--Migdalia Jimenez

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